The Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network where humans generate and consume information, is now evolving to the internet of things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange and process information without human intervention. The internet of everything (IoE), which is a combination of the IoT technology and the big data processing technology through connection with a cloud server, has emerged.
As technology elements, such as “sensing technology”, “wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure”, “service interface technology”, and “security technology” have been demanded for IoT implementation, a sensor network, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and so forth have been recently researched.
Such an IoT environment may provide intelligent Internet technology services that create a new value to human life by collecting and analyzing data generated among connected things. IoT may be applied to a variety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliances and advanced medical services through convergence and combination between existing information technology (IT) and various industrial applications.
Machine type communication is rapidly evolving from an M2M communication concept which supports communication between people and things, or between things, based on a mobile communication network into a concept of interacting with all information of real and virtual worlds as well as things while extending its area to the Internet. Namely, the M2M communication that enables the intelligent communication between people and things, or between things, at anytime and anywhere in real time in a stable and convenient manner is extending its area to IoT while connecting all surrounding things through the Internet.
The IoT refers to a technology of connecting various types of things, which have a sensor and a communication function embedded therein, to the Internet. Here, the things include various embedded systems (a computer system of an electronic device such as a smart phone), such as home appliances, a mobile device, wearable computers, etc. The things connected to the IoT have to be connected to an internet based on a unique internet protocol (IP) address by which the things can be identified, and may have sensors embedded therein for acquiring information from an external environment.
Recently, IoT has been rapidly developed, so a Bluetooth scheme, specially, a Bluetooth scheme which supports a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) mode has been attracted. Generally, a user may control devices to which a BLE mode is applied using a portable terminal, e.g., a smart phone, so devices to which a BLE mode is applied has been increased.
In a wireless communication system, e.g., a wireless communication system supporting a Bluetooth scheme, a unique signal of a BLE advertiser, e.g., a BLE advertisement packet, e.g., a beacon signal, is not encrypted, and is transmitted through a published channel. So, in the wireless communication system supporting the Bluetooth scheme, any device may receive a BLE advertisement packet transmitted by the BLE advertiser, and analyze the received BLE advertisement packet.
So, an attacker may receive, copy and store a BLE advertisement packet transmitted by a BLE advertiser, and transmit the BLE advertisement packet of the BLE advertiser. That is, in a wireless communication system supporting the Bluetooth scheme, an attacker may easily generate a counterfeit BLE advertiser.
For example, in a current BLE standard, a BLE advertiser transmits a medium access control (MAC) address of the BLE advertiser along with a BLE advertisement packet. In a case that the BLE advertiser uses the same MAC address whenever transmitting a BLE advertisement packet, an attacker may easily generate a counterfeit BLE advertiser. Further, it is possible to identify the BLE advertiser using the MAC address transmitted along with the BLE advertisement packet, so there is a high probability of infringement of privacy.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.